Ben was an awesome guide and person to go fishing during my honeymoon in NZ. He is a guide who is passionate about his work and his knowledge about the area and techniques was top notch. Everything was taken care of from start to finish. All high quality gear and tackle was supplied along with a great boxed lunch. Although we only had a few open spots due to the NZ fishing season not being fully opened at the time of our trip, Ben knew where all the best spots were for where we could fish for some giant Trout. Trout was caught up in excess of 10lbs. Bigger than what we would catch in Southern California by a mile. We will definitely hire Ben in our next visit to NZ. Thank you Ben for the great talks and a memorable fishing trip!
Thanks Ben for one of the best fishing trips of my life. Catching a rainbow trout was a bucket list item and you came through despite how rusty I was at fly fishing.
I booked the salmon fishing day trip – mainly for my husband….I did not expect to that I would love it so much too! We had an amazing day and Ben was so knowledgeable and friendly. I was worried as we hadn’t done this kind of fishing before but Ben was patient and a very good teacher! We would do it all again i a heartbeat!
We met in the dark hours of the morning with a good drive ahead of us. Ben’s an easy guy to get on with, but talk soon turned to the Salmon with some great background information discussed on our way to the Rakaia Gorge.As we were setting up the fish began to jump and my casting was soon fairly accurate due to the help of some great gear.I also made a few “random” quality casts but Ben encouraged me to make the best use of the lure in the water and we were soon rewarded with my first catch of the day – a 5.8lb 2 year old in lovely condition! I’ve had a bit of luck on my own fly rod, but it might have been a bit delicate for this guy, so I was grateful for a bit of heavier duty spinning gear to play the fish onto the sandy beach. We took some photos and set up the gear to try again.Next cast I hooked up again, initially thinking I had another snag due to fishing the lure close to the gravel bottom, but then came that reassuring thumping vibration through the braid and rod tip which promised another round of the sport we had travelled for. Five minutes later we had a 9.3lb 3 year old jack hanging from the scales and some more photos to boot.It was great just to be out in the scenic wilds with a chatty like-minded bloke. If no salmon or trout had been caught on the trip, it would still have been a good day out for me, the catch was a bonus.
I chose to fish with Ben because of his specialisation in salmon fishing. He knows the Rakaia River very well, having scouted the best spots in advance and making sure we were in position at first light. I had a nice sea run Brown Trout in the ice box before breakfast. It was a very enjoyable day.
Great trip with a great guy, perfect organisation. Everything was planned to make the trip perfect, spare equipment, spare guide, contingency plans … Plenty of fish and lots of laughs. Even the weather was at the party! I had a blast and will definitely come back if I can.
Our experience with Ben was second to none. Our group contained three fishermen of varying experience, yet Ben was still able to find locations and fish to suit each members needs. As overseas visitors, Ben was able to broaden our knowledge of the whole region and show us some spectacular locations during our experience. Ben was willing to offer advice and share his many years of fishing knowledge with our team. This made the trip an even more rewarding experience for all members involved.
Ben has an incredible knowledge of the streams and rivers within the South Island. He has the ability to guide throughout the Canterbury region as well as the remote rivers of the West Coast. This allowed him to plan the best trip that we could have had, given the challenging weather conditions during our trip.
Ben is the perfect guide for those who are serious about finding the good fishing spots in the north of the South Island and care less about expending the effort to get there. We could not have been more pleased with his work during our trip.
To put it simply, Ben is an outstanding guide. His years of experience are very obvious when it comes to finding and spotting fish, knowing waters and putting you in the best possible position to catch a fish. Fishing with Ben is a real pleasure.
Wow, we made the trip over to New Zealand hoping to catch a salmon each for the wall. I had mine by the first day and my mate by the second day. The trout fishing was just a bonus and was the best fishing we have had on some very large rainbows on tight skinny water. By far the most professional guide money can buy.
Ben is a brilliant guide. I spent a great day walking a high country stream with him. He seemed to know every twist, turn and pool and we saw and caught some of the biggest fish I have seen.
A really nice bloke who goes out of his way to make sure everything is perfect.
Our day fly fishing for trout with Ben Haywood was absolutely wonderful. As novice fly fishers we were a little concerned we wouldn’t be up to the task but with Ben’s advice and assistance we soon felt comfortable and relaxed, and we were onto the fish in no time. Ben’s knowledge of the river system was outstanding and his encouragement and expertise ensured we had a fun, exciting and thoroughly enjoyable day. Thanks to Ben, we can’t wait to get back so he can take us salmon fishing. I would happily recommend Ben to anyone wanting to fish in NZ. You are guaranteed to have a memorable experience and a fantastic time.
Ben is one of the best guides I have been fishing with. He knows the rivers really well and even better where the fish liked to hang out. He put me onto the fish within the half hour on the river and the action did not stop all day. In fact by the end of the day I had lost count of how many we caught and if not for all the photos Ben took throughout the day I would not have realized how many we actually put in the net.
I have already recommended Ben to some people I work with and would highly recommend him to anyone looking to go after some great New Zealand trout. He will definitely provide you the opportunities to catch fish and have a great day on the river.
I have never worked with a guide more dedicated than Ben. He was willing to start early and fish until late evening in order to give the best fishing experience ever! He really knows the rivers and how to put you on the fish. I would recommend him to any angler no matter what their experience level.
My full day of fly fishing for rainbow trout with Ben Haywood was a dream fulfilled. Ben has superlative guiding skills as well as being incredibly patient and helpful. This allowed me to catch some large trout along one of his favourite streams. His uncanny knack of spotting fish in the water, and telling you where to place the fly was very efficient in fishing long stretches of the stream. This was a fishing experience that I will never forget.
This was my third trip with Ben, that says it all! He finds fish where I can only see rocks. The only thing he doesn’t seem to control is the weather! Up your game Ben. He now knows I like challenging, hard, long days on the river. My legs and I are never disappointed. Excellent guiding! I will be back again.
I have never fished with anyone who is able to spot fish better than my guide Ben Haywood. He put me on multiple large rainbows in only a half day fishing trip. It was a first class experience and a fly fishing trip of a life time. Thank you Ben.
We spent 2 days’ fly fishing with Ben in January and it was great! He really wanted us to catch fish and we did even though it was our first time fly fishing. I would definitely recommend Ben and my only advice would be to prepare a large strong coffee because the early wake up can be hard but worth it! I hope to come back to New Zealand and fly fish with Ben again. Greg and Claude
Fishing with Ben was the highlight of my 3-week trip to New Zealand. Ben was there 20 minutes early to pick me up. It was a 45-minute drive to where we started fishing. Gorgeous scenery throughout the fishing experience. We hiked into a gorge and fished 3 different rivers. Fish were plentiful, caught several and had fun. Ben knows the hot spots and when the fish were not biting on one fly, he knew what fly to switch to. He is very safety conscience, carried medical supplies and evac phone in case of emergency. Even this 70-year-old fisherman could not have found a better fishing guide and partner anywhere.
I hired 3 different guides during my New Zealand fly fishing adventure. Ben was the best of all of them. He is knowledgeable, patient and very skillful. He organises everything so well for you that you will definitely enjoy the fly fishing trip. He will take you out on the best streams of Southern New Zealand. He will share his knowledge and you will definitely catch some trophy size trout. I had a great time fishing with Ben. Highly recommended!